


i know i love you (and you love the sea)

by orphan_account



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:55:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26351512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Annabeth loves Percy, and she loves telling him so. She loves the taste of the words, the echo of them in the air, his sweet smile when he says it back.She quickly discovers that he doesn’t always say it with words, though.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Comments: 5
Kudos: 137





	i know i love you (and you love the sea)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Liz (nerdylizj) for being the best beta!!!

Annabeth loves Percy, and she loves telling him so. She loves the taste of the words, the echo of them in the air, his sweet smile when he says it back.

She quickly discovers that he doesn’t always say it with words, though. She learns to read it the same way she learned Ancient Greek or Latin.

For instance, he presses a smile onto her sun-kissed nose, and that translates to a _good morning_. A hand placed on her back as he passes her in the kitchen means, _I’ll make us breakfast._ When he nuzzles his head into her neck to tickle her with his hair, he’s saying, _I like making you laugh._

Thalia tells a joke, and they catch each other’s gaze across the room.

Percy shakes his head with a wide grin and raises his eyebrows. _Didn’t I make the same one three days ago?_

Annabeth’s sparkling eyes match his mirth. _Yeah, but Thalia’s delivery was better than yours._

They’re never subtle, and they’ve been staring for too long. “Why are you guys making those weird faces?” Grover wonders.

Thalia smirks at them. “Is this just between you two,” she teases, “or are you gonna let us in on the secret, Seaweed Brain?” Percy shoves her lightly, pink-faced, and Annabeth giggles.

He huffs. _Oh, shut up. Only you can call me that._

He stands his ground between her and mortal danger.

Raises Riptide, charges. Under his determined battle cry, he vows, _I won’t let anything hurt you_. He rushes to her side and checks her wounds. _I can’t lose you._ Kisses chasing the tears down her cheeks reassure her, _you’re okay,_ and the vise of desperate arms around her says, _I’m so glad you’re alive._

They argue.

She raises her voice and he grits out biting retorts, and then suddenly, he cocks his head to the side.... He presses his lips together, his eyes sparkling. _You know, you’re pretty cute when you’re angry._ The scowl melts from her face against her better judgment. He crosses the room in a few strides, and there are kisses under her jaw, on her neck, on her shoulder blade. _You drive me crazy sometimes._ He pulls back and sighs. His mouth quirks up when he sees her fighting a smile. _I can never stay mad at you for long, though, can I?_

She talks, he listens.

She chatters on about her newest project with wild, animated gestures, and he fondly tugs on one of her curls. _I like the sound of your voice._ He asks about an architect whose name she didn’t even realize he remembered. I _’m always listening even when you think I’m not._ She confesses that she’s afraid her work won’t turn out the way she wants it to. He tilts his head, an incredulous smile, soft, encouraging, loving: _I've never doubted you_ and _I believe in you_ and _do you even know who you are?_

_I hear you, I see you, I know you._

Dozens of campers gather around the campfire.

Their boisterous songs send the flames dancing high enough to greet familiar constellations. Percy puts an arm around her shoulders, and it’s a defiant, boastful declaration to the stars: _We fought and lost and mourned, and now we’re here, together despite divine intervention, happy against all odds._

She’s never been good at letting go.

His kiss goodbye is the hardest for her to decipher. She figures it out one night, though, when he’s about to disappear into the Long Island Sound. He presses his lips firmly onto hers, lingering once, twice, a third time, cradling her head. She opens her eyes between the kisses to try to read the message. His brow is furrowed, his eyes are squeezed shut, and she understands.

He’s saying several things at once: _I’ll miss you_ , and _Don’t worry about me_ , and _I promise I’ll come back to you._

He returns after an eternity, emerging from the waves as if he were born from sea-foam.

Wrapping his arms around her waist, spinning her in circles, he peppers kisses over her delighted laughter. He sets her back down on her feet, cups her face gently like he’s holding something precious between his palms. A soft touch of lips on her head, a single raindrop falling on an ocean, sends a ripple of warmth through her.

 _I promised, didn’t I?_ His eyes shine at her with the moon-bright sea. _Let’s go home._

Translation: _I love you._


End file.
